Cruise ship bonanza: more jobs
119 visits expected this season
SOARING cruise ship numbers and a multimilliondollar increase in expenditure in Dunedin is driving an increase in employment among the city’s tourism operators.
Statistics New Zealand yesterday released figures showing last season’s cruise ship expenditure of $49 million was more than $14 million up on the season before.
Dunedin had the biggest increase in New Zealand for passenger numbers, up 11% at 180,000.
Those figures should jump even more in the coming season, as the number of cruise ship visits is set to rise from 88 to a record 119.
Tourism operators say they are preparing for a big year, and are employing more people to cope.
Dunedin Railways is doing its annual recruitment, looking for workers to fill roles including sales and customer service staff, guards, locomotive assistants and onboard hosts.
Chief executive Craig Osborne said the cruise ship season had become ‘‘a massive thing’’ for Dunedin Railways.
The influx would mean the railway would be operating on more days, with more people expected to take a train trip.
Dunedin Railways would be holding an employment open day next Friday, and the increase in cruise ship numbers would ‘‘definitely’’ mean more jobs and more hours over the season.
Larnach Castle marketing manager Deborah Price said recruiting for seasonal staff would begin next month.
She expected the business would need three extra guides, taking its pool of guides to about 16.
The castle had set up a marquee for peak months for overflow, and that meant more catering staff rostered on.
‘‘Some of our parttime staff will be working longer hours.’’
Monarch Wildlife Cruises owner Neil Harraway said he would be taking on two extra parttime crew and two extra parttime drivers to cope with the influx.
He had two vessels apart from Monarch to take passengers.
Otago Peninsula Trust marketing manager Sophie Barker said the trust was about to start hiring for the season.
The trust, which operates businesses including the Royal Albatross Centre and Glenfalloch Gardens, would be needing more tour guides and cafe work
ers.
‘‘The stats do say it’s creating employment, and it actually is creating employment.’’
Port Otago marine and infrastructure general manager Sean Bolt said there were always ‘‘a couple of dropoffs’’ from the schedule because of weather or schedule changes, but the final figure was not expected to be much below 119.
The port would have to work hard to handle the numbers, and for the first time had a staff member working fulltime to deal with cruise ships. Its multipurpose wharf extensions would be finished in October, meaning a 430m berth would be available.